Brandywine Tomato:Tomato of the Month

The Brandywine tomato, a
classic beefsteak slicing tomato, is credited with bringing heirloom tomatoes
back into popularity after the rise of hybridization in the twentieth century. The
variety has become one of the most popular home garden cultivars in the United States.
It has been dubbed “the best-tasting tomato in the world.”

How did this tomato come to us?

Brandywine’s history is a
bit uncertain. What can be confirmed is this: Ohio tomato enthusiast Ben Quisenberry
(1887-1986) brought the tomato to the attention of today’s gardeners by listing
it in the Seed Savers Exchange in 1982.

Prior to that, Brandywine’s
line cannot be unequivocally verified. Quisenberry reputedly received original Brandywine seeds fom Dorris Sudduth Hill, who claimed
they had been in her family for over 80 years. In question is whether the cultivar was passed down as a heirloom (through Doriss’ Amish family in Pennsylvania) from a commercial variety, or if it was
brought to the U.S.
from overseas.

To further muddle the seed ancestry waters, Burpee claims to
have introduced Brandywine to its customers in
1886 – nearly a century before the variety’s Seed Savers Exchange debut. Johnson
and Stokes also listed a Brandywine variety
in their 1889 catalog.

What to know about Brandywine

Regardless of who introduced the Brandywine first, its original and other confirmed strains are readily available.

Confirmed Brandywine strains

Additional strains with the Brandywine name have appeared in
the marketplace, including Cherry Brandywine, Glick’s Strain Brandywine,
Joyce’s Strain Brandywine, Liam’s Brandywine, and Pawer’s Brandywine, to name a
few.